Scooter



April 3, 1928.

R. RUTHERFORD SCOOTER Filed June 18. 1925 Fic/Tanzi z eI/jard,

Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,664,864 PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD RUTHER-FORD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK HAGGER HEADLEY, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

SCOOTER.

Application filed June 18, 1925, Serial No. 37,887, and in Great Britain September 16, 1924.

This invention relates to scooters comprising a foot-board supported on wheels and provided at ontl end with a steering column, and has for its object. to enable the saine to be propelled solelyv by the motion of the riders body without the necessity of applying the foot to the ground. This object is attained, according to this invention, by mounting one or more of the running wheels-preferably the rear wheeleccentri cally in the scooter, so that when the rider suitably rocks his body, an oscillatory motion is imparted to the foot-board and the scooter is thereby propelled.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. l shows a side elevation of a scooter, the rear wheel of which is eccentrically mounted. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale, through the rear wheel of the scooter as taken on the line of Fig. l.

Referring to the drawing, the scooter proper is of the usual construction and comprises a steering column o with front 'forks al having concentrically mounted therein the front wheel (f. the :said steering coiumn be ing pivoted to the chassis of the scooter which comprises a foot-hoard 7), secured by means of bolts 711 to the metal bars b2 (of which only one appears in the drawing) comprising an under frame. the rear ends of the said hars constituting the forhY for tho roar wliecl ov I Suitable means for pivoting thc sieering column to the under frame may comprise two lugs (t3 and a* fixed to the steering column a. to which lugs is pivoted a U-shaped member' fl carried by links Il (of which only one appears in thc drawing) pivoted at their lower ends (if to thi` forward cud of the under frame o?. Across the angle between the under frame b2 and each of the links d1 is arranged a collapsible strut comprising members cl3 and d* which are pivoted, at d5 and d respectively, to the underframe and to the links lll. The two members are pivoted together at d? and the member d* is furA nished at its upper end with a laterally eX- tending abutment d8 arranged to bear against the front edge of the upper end of the member d3 to receive the forward thrust of tho upper rearwardly bent portions of the member d3 when the scooter is in use. In order to foldl up the scooter it is merely necessary to push the joint Z7 rearwardly whereupon the steering column a can be folded down on to the under frame b2.

The said rear wheel c is eccentrically mounted, as shown, the spindle c1 being displaced from the centre 02 of the wheel itself. Conveniently, the wheel c may, as shown in the drawing, have dished discs instead of spokes and the hub for the spindle 01 may comprise a tube c3 anged or beaded over at. its ends into tight engagement with the discs as best shown in Fig. 2. Such a hub is easy to construct and imparts strength and rigidity to the wheel.

A ny desired degree of eccentricity may be provided for, but it has been found convenient in practice to displace the spindle c1 one inch from the centre of the wheel so as to give a rise and fall of two inches to the rearward extremity of the chassis.

To start the scooter, the spindle c1 should be slightly in advance of the top dead centre so that the weight of the body on the scooter causes the rear wheel to revolve. Vhen the wheel has turned approximately through half a revolution, the scooter will have assumed a position as shown in chain lines in the drawing and the weight of the user is then transferred to the front of the machine, thereby relieving the pressure on the rear wheel and aiding the same to return to its original position of just over top dead centre, whereupon the above operation can he repeated :is often as desired. In other words, the weight of the user is thrown forwards and backwards, giving the body a rocking motion which corresponds to the motion of the eccentric wheel spindle.

Owing to the absence of any complicated mechanism, as in mechanically propelled scooters previously proposed, it,- will be obvi.Y ous that scooters constructed in accordance with this invention are simple and cheap to produce.

I claim:

l. A scooter comprising an underframe of substantially parallel bars, a footboard mounted 0n said underframe. a steering column. a running wheel mounted concen trically in said steering column. means for connecting said underframe and said steering column, a rear disc wheel, a hub eccentrically mounted in said rear wheel. said hub con'iprising a tube flanged over at its ends tightly on the opposite faces of the wheel lili) and zi spindle hccentriclally mounted inuthe rearl eindlofdsid un'derfrme and lso freely passing'thi'oglrsid hub.

Q. A scooter comprising an underframe of 5substantially':parallel hars, az 4foot-board mounted on said under funder frame, a steering column, u running wheel mountcdconcentrically in said steering column, means for spivotelluyconnecting underfrnme and`siid'stee1'ing' column coniprising rear- .,waildly extending lugs on said steerirubY column, 'a U-sh'aped men'iberfpivoted to said i ugs, links secuiedto "said lUlshaped members fand pivoted t-Qsaid iindeilframe` struts'pivl-Qofted tqaid iinderfraie andhaving their upper ends bent reurwiudly, arms Ypivotcd ,tofsad struts nnl to said links anllmving ,afbuti'nents 'at their upper cnds adapted to bealag'uii'ist the front .edge of the upper 20 "Vends:,ofgt-hcy said struts, a rear wheel eccen- Ltlriczlly'ii'io'untcd in said iuiderfranie, und u ""spiidlefmounted in the rear end of said underframc and also passing through said rear .whcelm v i' i 26 scooter comprrcing :in underframe ot Usulqstantigilla `parallel lozirs,V L foot-board niounted'lonsaid undrfra'me; #steering co1- umn,v a`r`unnirg wheel mounted concentrically in said steering column, means for pivotally --connecting -sidffunderfra-me and Ysaid vsteer-ing vcolumn'comprising rearwardly extending lugs on said steel-ing column, a U- shaped member pivoted to said lugs, links secured to` said.y lugsfand. piyQted torsaid underfrinie.,4 struts'pivotcd to said iin'derframe .and lhavingv their.l upper. ends. bentrrearf ardlyj; arms pivoted to said struts .andato :said links 21nd, having abutmentsnt, their upper ends u daptedto bear against the front edgey ofthehup'per ends ofthe said struts,- a regirdiscrwheel, a hub mounted .in sa'iclmear ywheel, said hub ycmnprising :L tubelanged over Aat its ends tightly ontor the.oppositc faces of the Wheel, und u spindleeccentri- .cally mountedin the rear end ofvvsaid underframe andjalso passing through said. hub.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

RICHARD RUT'HERFOD. 

